Grapplers building a tradition on H.P mats

The Highland Park High School wrestling program continues to reach milestones that would have been considered unfathomable a decade ago.

Coming off an 11-11 season that made them the last team left out of the Central Jersey Group 1 tournament, the Owls bring back various District 19 place-winners and championship experience.

Fifth-year HP head coach Craig Girvan, in his 11th year with the program, was recently named athletic director by the borough. He reflected on a successful four-man senior class that graduated in the spring.

“It was a tremendous senior class with a lot of wins,” Girvan said. “D’Andre (Bell) was Highland Park’s first state qualifier. Louis (Middleton) and Noah (Kendall) were both in the district finals and Matt (McKinney) was a 20-match winner for three years in a row. That’s a grand total of 100 wins last year from the group.”

While wrestle-offs will determine the official weight pairings as the season starts in mid-December, Girvan has a general idea of what to expect from his group as a whole and what needs to be taught to each individual wrestler.

Challenges are expected in filling the 103-pound slot, and in finding a true heavyweight, as the head coach believes he has “two 215-pounders” but a predicament in who will step up to the highest weight class.

The 2010-2011 version of the Owls is led by senior captains Anthony Lanni, Evan Farmer, Sam Lobel and junior captain Tyler Rios.

Lanni is due to start at the 112-pound slot, as a returning fourth place finisher in District 19.

“He’s the one guy on our team who throughout his four years has wrestled at an outside club in East Brunswick’s CJA Wrestling,” Girvan said. “To get to the next, elite level, you have to work outside practices and he has.”

At 119 pounds, Farmer will be pushed by sophomore Alex Vanarthos. Farmer has been in the program for four years.

“Evan’s put in good work as a varsity starter and at Rutgers wrestling club,” Girvan said. “Alex is a sophomore with a lot of potential who came with us to Old Bridge duals this summer.”

Vanarthos may also get reps at 125 pounds depending on who makes weight, and junior Reuben Lopez can also compete there. Lopez is trying to break into the lineup after spending last year on junior varsity.

The 130-pound classification shows HP’s age depth with freshman Jeremy Coster and senior Kevin Rios on board. Coster “is a potential bright spot who wrestled three years in middle school,” according to Girvan, and Rios has a lot of athletic ability.

Bell’s wins will need to be replaced at 135, where Kevin Rios and sophomore Michael Erlich are on tap to compete. Erlich was a newcomer to the sport last year and placed fourth in the county at the junior varsity level.

Four of the next five weight classes have relatively set starters. Junior Nisam Ponery (140), senior Sam Lobel (145), junior John Unger (152), junior Dennis Safan (160) and junior Tyler Rios (189) return to the lineup. Girvan commented on each member of the cluster.

“Ponery won over 10 matches last year and went to TCNJ camp,” Girvan said. “Lobel has been out with injuries for two years but won 19 matches his freshman year and leads by example. Unger had valuable experience as a sophomore starter last year and will contribute. Safan is in his second year on the mat and we’re optimistic about him. David Segal will be pushed by a football guy, Jack Karragan, at 171 and they’ll work hard.”

“And Tyler Rios really took his wrestling to a whole new level,” he added. “He went to sophomore nationals in Virginia and went to Indiana with Team New Jersey. He’s the returning District 19 champion, Top 12 in the state and the national experience will help him add to his vocal leadership.”

At 215 and heavyweight, freshmen Tyler Vella (a middle school county champion) and Dylan Gordeuk will “become stronger and tougher for the future” by wrestling plenty of upperclassmen.

“Our challenges are the same,” Girvan said. “We’re a small school and we don’t have a wrestling tradition in town yet like a South Plainfield or Old Bridge. But we have tremendous athletes. Our goal every year is to qualify for sectionals as a team and the Blue Division is also wide open this year.”